Anna McQuiston is Toppling Barriers to Collaboration in the MidSouth

Anna McQuiston says the MidSouth is at a tipping point. While the region – which comprises 6 counties and 38 cities across West Tennessee, East Arkansas, and North Mississippi – has been facing population loss, it also has potential for upwards of 100,000 new jobs in the next 10 years. How do you ensure that those jobs go to locals who have been sticking it out in leaner times? And how do you build infrastructure to support a thriving region with leadership that will collaborate rather than compete for resources? As Executive Director of the MidSouth Development District, Anna McQuiston says it all comes down to the magic of teams that can trust each other. In this episode, co-hosts Tracey Pearson and Jamie Bennett talk with Anna McQuiston about:How Anna gets mayors and civic leaders across the region to “get real” with each other and share experiences, information and ideas without competition and posturing. The importance of regionalism and pooling resources to build stability across the region.Her findings from the recent “State of the Region” convening she organized to address shared challenges and opportunities for leaders across the MidSouth.How she approaches the balance of stabilizing long-time families and attracting new residents to the region.The advice she was given the summer before graduate school that she uses every single day. ***Stay tuned for our next city series all about what PathBreakers are up to in Fresno, California. Our Fresno series launches in September. ***Subscribe to PathBreakers on [Spotify] | [Apple Podcasts] | [YouTube]Learn more about the MidSouth Development District at https://www.midsouthdd.org/Preview all of Season 2 at https://pathbreakers.kresge.orgCo-Hosts: Tracey Pearson and Jamie BennettProducer: Juliet HinelyManaging Editor: Krista JahnkeProduction support: Jennifer Kulczycki and Tracey PearsonGraphics: Alejandro HerreraLogo animation: Collin LeixSpecial thanks on this episode to Kresge’s American Cities Program, especially Chantel Rush Tebbe and Anand Sharma.